Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1887-01-05
BALD HEADED.
Moss Grown Chestnuts, a Rank
Tenderfoot Correspondent
of the Washington Star
Palms off upon the too Credu-
lous Readers of the
Atlantic Coast.
A ROBUST LIAR

- h''s'A
Who Dishes up stale News and Unaduiter-
ated stiifs for Eastern Readers.
Ii is an old proverb that on- must
90 away from home 10 learn the news,
aud il finds recent exsmplificalio ion in
the screed Of so called correspondent
of the Washington Star, Published
in the issue of December 2ith. The
scribbler i evidently a correspondent
at large, for he dates his bundle OF
stale lies from ">ou thea.tern Mon
tans," December 10th, without the
year, it, appearance in paper pub
lished December 2ilh 1886, leaving the
inference that the statements made in
the article are based on recent obser-
vations. The "r0wdy west" being a
taking subject With eastern readers,
these correspondents, who are usually
rank tenderfeet with an itching for
literay fame, feel ii duty to their
employers TO I'LL the letters with the
mot startling possibilities which are
given of ss every day facts. The rep
utstion Of the rowdy west has got TO
be sustained in the eastern press, and
the correspondent who neglects this
feature soon finds himself out OF job.
From such worthless and sensational
data rs this are the people Of the far
west judged by their eastern country
men. The injury that the promulga-
ton OF such senseless lies does TO u
growing place like Miles City, is
almost beyond calculation. Here is
what Is said Of Miles City by this
veracious correspondent.
Alter two days of town life, our long
list of things 10 DO and to purchase
was checked of to the very lasl Item,
and paying n princ.ly bill for hotel
accommodations that would rival The
wretcnedne>s Of North river emil
grant "dIve,n We drew out smid rough
but kindly far.wells from the motley
group of berders, buyers, prospeciors,
Uwnerr, and drivers which ornsmeDt-
en- the piazza of the cattle mems hear
quarters.
| had made friends during my short
stay in town with cattle kiugs, bord-
er rufiians, sn English lord, Nil old
miner, Spaniards, Mexicans, men
fresh from eastern colleges, criminals
with price ON their heads, gamblers,
"broncho busters" and men from
almost every civilized country in the
world.
Strange that this little out.of-the'
way corner of, the earth should reach
out so far in its gathering, aud
stranger still that men Of such differ.
ent metal should be content for the
time TO be hand and glove with each
other; but there are all grades oi
bnman stock on the golden ranges ui
this western cattle country.
The two main thoroughfares OF
Mile- form a letter Il. The buildings
are all low and cheap, giving the i'm.
preston Of a seaside town Of summer
cottages. Nearly every other shop in
the long row is gin mill" while the
picturesque wildness of things mani
mate is heightened by the charscteris.
tic life OF the streets, Filled, AT one
time, with horses and cattle, and
resonant with the vigorous shouts oi
rollicking COW boys-at another with
cavalry from ForI Keogh-or a wagon
trpin Of agriculturists; or, perhaps, q
pitching broncbo makes IL lively fol-
his rider and interesting for the bet
ting spectators, who lOll out of til,
saloons 10 air their wit upon each
other and the victim. IL is alway.
lively even IL il Is nothing more than
majestic Cheyenne threatening Il
shoot the dogs which tipsy COW boys
are setting upon the heels of "bil
buck.n
The stores, with the exception Of the
handsome brick bank, are all Of tn,
ten-fOoter species, and line bat one
side Of the dirty street. Inside the
tawdry saloons the life Of the town
whirls like vortex The men smok,
vile cigars and drink straight fire
water all day, and play stud-bors,
poker all night. with now aud then 4
lively squall with q shoot over Tho
stakes.
Naturally the eastern reader would
take the foregoing racy excerpt n de
scriptive Of the Miles City Of to-day
and while in some respects u NIGH
pass muster as highly drawn pictur,
of life here five or six years ago, II ha'
no relevancy to the present day
Contradictory Of the first statement
we cite the fact that the Mscqueen
hotel, heated by steam throu!hou'
and equipped with the most modern
Of hotel appliances, is known by
north western travellers as the beet
hotel on the line Of the Northern Pa
cfic road. The doubtful friends made
by the correspondent could have been
made In any city II the slums are
dragged for this purpose, and the bet
ter class he probably gazed at from
distance, while making mental notes
for his lying screed. What he says Of
the appearance OF the streets Of Miles
City was never true even In the